I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Green Wood Sect, Lingmu Peak Side Hall

The air inside the hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, and the carved wooden tables and chairs gleamed with a warm luster. Mu Sangzi leaned back in a wide chair covered with soft animal hide, toying with a vibrant green spiritual fruit in his hand, a contented smile on his face.

Before him, a young man dressed in the robes of an inner disciple of the Qingmu Sect, whose face bore a striking resemblance to his own, was diligently pouring him tea. This young man was Mu Xuan, Mu Sangzi's nephew.

"Uncle," Mu Xuan said with a beaming smile and an obvious fawning tone, "you handled the recruitment of disciples for the Hundred Sects Battlefield exceptionally well! Elder Wang and Deacon Li are very grateful to you for taking in those juniors from their clans! They all say you are considerate of old friendships and handle matters with utmost care!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Sangzi's smugness deepened. He slowly took a bite of the spiritual fruit, its juice sweet: "Xuan'er, this is called worldly wisdom. Cultivation is not only about cultivating techniques and spiritual power, but also about these interpersonal relationships and connections. They owe me this favor, so they will naturally have to give me some face in many matters within the sect in the future. You should learn the intricacies of this, kid."

"Yes, yes, yes, nephew will certainly remember Uncle's teachings!" Mu Xuan nodded repeatedly, then, as if remembering something, a hint of disdain and pleasure appeared on his face. "Speaking of which, that Qin Yuan... Hmph, so arrogant at the Heavenly Pride Gathering, so what if he broke through three realms in a row? In the end, wasn't he still shut out by a single, casual remark from you, Uncle? No matter how strong he is, in front of your authority, Uncle, he's nothing more than a grasshopper that jumps a little higher!"

Mu Sangzi stroked his beard, narrowed his eyes, and spoke with a detached and disdainful tone befitting someone long accustomed to a high position: "Just a genius from a lower sect. The cultivation world is never short of geniuses. Every year, so-called prodigies are as numerous as carp crossing a river, but how many can truly grow and stand the test of time? Most perish along the way, or get stuck at a bottleneck and fade into obscurity. Qin Yuan? He's too sharp, doesn't know how to restrain himself, and doesn't understand human relationships. Even if he has some talent, he'll hardly amount to anything. My Qingmu Sect doesn't need another one like him."

He paused, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of warning, "Xuan'er, now that you've joined the sect and received this opportunity, you must seize it. Don't be like those arrogant fools who don't know their own limitations. Cultivate diligently, stabilize your realm, and with your uncle here, you'll have no shortage of resources. In the future, you might just be able to secure a place for yourself within the Green Wood Sect."

A look of wild joy flashed in Mu Xuan's eyes. Just as he was about to say a few more flattering words, the side hall door was suddenly pushed open with a "bang"!

A figure in emerald green stormed in, filled with anger. It was Lin Qing'er. Several months had passed, and she seemed to have grown taller. Her demeanor had also lost some of the naivety of a mountain village girl, gaining more of the spiritual aura of a cultivator. However, at this moment, her pretty face was filled with coldness and anger, and her eyes were slightly red.

She stared intently at Mu Sangzi and Mu Xuan, her chest heaving with excitement.

"Elder Mu!" Lin Qing'er's voice trembled slightly with anger. "I heard... that Brother Qin Yuan won first place at the Heavenly Pride Gathering, breaking through three realms in a row, shocking everyone present! The five great sects were vying for him! Why... why did my Qingmu Sect not only fail to compete, but you... you even directly gave the spot to someone else?!"

Her gaze swept over Mu Xuan, whose expression was somewhat unnatural, like a knife: "So it was given to this person?!"

Mu Xuan felt uncomfortable under her gaze, but remembering his current status and the backing of his uncle, he straightened his chest and sneered, "Junior Sister Lin, watch your manners! The sect has its own rules and considerations for accepting disciples. How dare you, a disciple who has only recently joined, interfere? Does Elder Mu need to explain his actions to you?"

"Rules? Considerations?" Lin Qing'er laughed angrily, her eyes filled with disdain and disappointment. "I think it's selfishness! You're abusing your power for personal gain! Brother Qin Yuan's talent is obvious to everyone here! Even Elder Zhou of the Taiyi Immortal Sect promised him a position as a prospective Dao Child! If our Qingmu Sect could obtain him, we would have something to rely on for the next few hundred years! But you... you've turned away such a genius for your own selfish interests! You're damaging the foundation of your sect!"

"Insolence!" Mu Sangzi's face darkened, and he slammed the spiritual fruit he was holding onto the table with a loud thud. A slight wisp of the pressure from the Void Refinement stage leaked out, causing Lin Qing'er to gasp for breath and turn pale.

"Lin Qing'er, don't think that just because you have an innate wood spirit body and are being groomed by the sect, you can spout nonsense here!" Mu Sangzi's voice was icy. "How dare you presume to comment on sect affairs? I have my own judgment on Qin Yuan's talent. But when the sect recruits disciples, it looks at more than just talent; it looks at character, background, and whether they are compatible with the sect! Qin Yuan is arrogant and unruly, and he already has ties to the Taiyi Immortal Sect. Is he a good choice?"

He paused, looking at Lin Qing'er's stubborn and disbelieving eyes, his displeasure growing. His tone was mocking: "As for your claim that he's famous throughout the Five Great Sects? Ha, little girl, do you know how many so-called 'geniuses' the Five Great Sects see every year? It's just temporary glory! Unless he can do something truly earth-shattering, something that forces the Five Great Sects to take notice and remember his name, otherwise, today he's Qin Yuan, tomorrow he might be Zhang Yuan or Li Yuan, and he'll soon be forgotten in the tide of time! What this world has no shortage of are geniuses!"

"You...you will all regret this!" Lin Qing'er bit her lip, forcing back her tears. She knew arguing with these people was pointless. "Brother Qin Yuan...he is no ordinary man! Today you've let personal feelings interfere with public duty; you will surely suffer the consequences tomorrow!"

Having said that, she turned and rushed out of the side hall, no longer looking at the ashen-faced Mu Sangzi and the smug Mu Xuan. The hall door swayed behind her.

Mu Xuan spat at her retreating figure: "Ignorant brat! Uncle, look at her..."

"Ignore her." Mu Sangzi waved his hand, leaning back in his chair, his eyes darkening slightly. "Innate Wood Spirit Body... Hmph, if it weren't for the sect leader's favor, how could she be so presumptuous? However, she can't cause any real trouble. As for Qin Yuan..." He sneered, "Let him cause trouble in the Taiyi Sect. I want to see if he can really do something that the five great sects will remember, just as that little girl said."

Taiyi Sect, Black Wind Ravine Outskirts

A chilling wind howled, and jagged rocks stood everywhere. This place was located three thousand miles southeast of the Taiyi Mountains, a rift valley shrouded in gray-black mist year-round. The spiritual energy was chaotic, and a sinister aura would occasionally spill out, making it a place that ordinary cultivators were unwilling to approach.

The third squad of five hovered in their magical artifacts above the entrance to the rift valley. Below, the mist churned, and a faint, unsettling hissing wind could be heard.